Gateway Cities

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The Gateway Cities, shaded in blue (the boundary is generalized) Gateway Cities in Southern California.png
The Gateway Cities, shaded in blue (the boundary is generalized)

The Gateway Cities Region, or Southeast Los Angeles County (also shortened to Southeast Los Angeles and Southeast LA), is an urbanized region located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, between the City of Los Angeles proper, Orange County, and the Pacific Ocean. The cluster of cities has been termed "Gateway Cities" in that they serve as a "gateway" between the LA and Orange counties, with the city of Cerritos equidistant from Downtown L.A., Long Beach, and Santa Ana in Orange County. [1] As such, the area is central to the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), and has a population of approximately 2,000,000 residents. [2]

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Despite a predominating urban fabric of single-family homes and low-rise multifamily residential structures, Southeast LA County comprises some of the most densely populated municipalities in the United States. [3] [4] As with other regions of Los Angeles, Southeast LA's demographics are notable for ethnic and age diversity.

The Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG), the coordinating body for the Southeast LA Region, is located in the city of Paramount. [5]

Cities of Southeast LA

Gateway Cities GATEWAY CITIES.jpg
Gateway Cities

Area residents generally identify as being part of urban Los Angeles, despite technically living in separate, independent municipalities. The following cities are members of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments, [6] though these cities at times may also be considered part of other LA regions, including the San Gabriel Valley Region, East Los Angeles Region, the South Los Angeles Region, and the Los Angeles Harbor Region.

Also members of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments:

Higher education

Universities

The region hosts the following colleges and universities:

InstitutionLocationFoundedTypeEnrollmentShorthandNicknamePrimary ConferenceDivision
Biola University La Mirada 1901 Private 4,011Biola Eagles Pacific West Conference NCAA Division II
California State University, Long Beach Long Beach 1949 Public 37,776Cal State Long Beach 49ers Big West Conference NCAA Division I
Whittier College Whittier 1887 Private 2,259Whittier Poets Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference NCAA Division III
Southern California University of Health Sciences Whittier 1911 Private Graduate 469SCUNone--

Community colleges

InstitutionLocationFoundedEnrollmentNicknamePrimary ConferenceDivision
Cerritos College Norwalk 195522,731Falcons South Coast Conference CCCAA
Compton College Compton 19277,018Tartars South Coast Conference CCCAA
Long Beach City College Long Beach 192724,650Vikings South Coast Conference CCCAA
Rio Hondo College Whittier 196319,948Roadrunners South Coast Conference CCCAA

Infrastructure

Air

Southeast LA County's Long Beach Airport (LGB) provides Southeast LA regular direct flights to and from approximately a dozen cities in the Western United States. [7]

Sea and heavy rail

The Port of Long Beach, located in Southeast LA, is the second busiest port in the United States, [8] Significant freight rail infrastructure runs through Vernon, Commerce, Industry, Santa Fe Springs, and Pico Rivera; as well as lines running between the Port of Long Beach and Vernon & Commerce. [9]

Commuter and light rail

The LA Metro connects Southeast LA County to Greater Los Angeles via the following commuter and light rail lines:

Freeways

Given its high population, Southeast LA is noticeably crisscrossed with regional freeway infrastructure, connecting it to other parts of Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. The following freeways directly service Southeast LA County:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Bay (Los Angeles County)</span> Region in California, United States

The South Bay is a region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in the southwest corner of Los Angeles County. The name stems from its geographic location stretching along the southern shore of Santa Monica Bay. The South Bay contains sixteen cities plus portions of the City of Los Angeles and unincorporated portions of the county. The area is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the south and west and generally by the City of Los Angeles on the north and east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Los Angeles</span> Metropolitan area centered around the city of Los Angeles in California, United States

Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, with Los Angeles County in the center, and Orange County to the southeast. The Los Angeles–Anaheim–Riverside combined statistical area (CSA) covers 33,954 square miles (87,940 km2), making it the largest metropolitan region in the United States by land area. The contiguous urban area is 2,281 square miles (5,910 km2), whereas the remainder mostly consists of mountain and desert areas. With a population of 18.4 million in 2024, it is the second-largest metropolitan area in the country, behind New York, as well as one of the largest megacities in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerritos, California</span> City in California, United States

Cerritos is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956. As of 2019, the population was 49,859. It is part of the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, California Metropolitan Statistical Area designated by the Office of Management and Budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange County Transportation Authority</span> Transportation planning commission for Orange County, California

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for the transportation system in the county, including freeway expansions, express lane management, bus and rail transit operation, and commuter rail funding and oversight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority</span> Public transport agency in Los Angeles County, California, United States

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the public transportation system in Los Angeles County, California, the most populated county in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 91</span> Highway in California

State Route 91 (SR 91) is a major east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that serves several regions of the Greater Los Angeles urban area. A freeway throughout its entire length, it officially runs from Vermont Avenue in Gardena, just west of the junction with the Harbor Freeway, east to Riverside at the junction with the Pomona and Moreno Valley freeways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 710 and State Route 710 (California)</span> Interstate and state highway in California

Route 710, consisting of the non-contiguous segments of State Route 710 (SR 710) and Interstate 710 (I-710), is a major north–south state highway and auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of the U.S. state of California. Also called the Los Angeles River Freeway prior to November 18, 1954, the highway was initially planned to connect Long Beach and Pasadena, but a gap in the route exists from Alhambra to Pasadena through South Pasadena due to community opposition to its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 405 (California)</span> Interstate Highway in California

Interstate 405 is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in Southern California. The entire route is known as the northern segment of the San Diego Freeway. I-405 is a bypass auxiliary route of I-5, running along the southern and western parts of the Greater Los Angeles urban area from Irvine in the south to Sylmar in the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Los Angeles</span> Complex multimodal regional, national and international hub for passenger and freight traffic

Los Angeles has a complex multimodal transportation infrastructure, which serves as a regional, national and international hub for passenger and freight traffic. The system includes the United States' largest port complex; an extensive freight and passenger rail infrastructure, including light rail lines and rapid transit lines; numerous airports and bus lines; vehicle for hire companies; and an extensive freeway and road system. People in Los Angeles rely on cars as the dominant mode of transportation, but since 1990 the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has built over one hundred miles (160 km) of light and heavy rail serving more and more parts of Los Angeles and the greater area of Los Angeles County; Los Angeles was the last major city in the United States to get a permanent rail system installed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern California freeways</span> Freeway system

The Southern California freeways are a vast network of interconnected freeways in the megaregion of Southern California, serving a population of 23 million people. The Master Plan of Metropolitan Los Angeles Freeways was adopted by the Regional Planning Commission in 1947 and construction began in the early 1950s. The plan hit opposition and funding limitations in the 1970s, and by 2004, only some 61% of the original planned network had been completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California State Route 47</span> Highway in California

State Route 47 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting Terminal Island to the mainland in the Los Angeles area. From its south end at I-110 in San Pedro, it heads east across the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the island and the end of state maintenance. The state highway begins again at the junction with I-710 on Terminal Island, crossing the Schuyler Heim Bridge north to the mainland and the second terminus, where SR 103 begins. Signage continues along a locally maintained route, mainly Alameda Street, to the Gardena Freeway in Compton, and an unconstructed alignment follows the same corridor to the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) near downtown Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Boulevard (Los Angeles County)</span>

Atlantic Boulevard/Atlantic Avenue/Los Robles Avenue is a major north–south thoroughfare in eastern Los Angeles County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 5 in California</span> Section of Interstate Highway in California, United States

Interstate 5 (I-5) is a major north–south route of the Interstate Highway System in the United States, stretching from the Mexican border at the San Ysidro crossing to the Canadian border near Blaine, Washington. The segment of I-5 in California runs 796.77 miles (1,282.28 km) across the length of the state from San Ysidro to the Oregon state line south of the Medford-Ashland metropolitan area. It is the longest interstate in California, and accounts for more than half of I-5's total length.

Artesia Boulevard is a west-east thoroughfare in Los Angeles County and Orange County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Greater Los Angeles</span> Complex multimodal regional, national and international hub for passenger and freight traffic

Greater Los Angeles has a complex multimodal transportation infrastructure, which serves as a regional, national and international hub for passenger and freight traffic. The transportation system of Greater Los Angeles includes the United States' largest port complex, seven commuter rail lines, Amtrak service, a subway system within the city of Los Angeles, and numerous highways. Los Angeles is integrated into the Interstate Highway System by Interstate 5, Interstate 10, and Interstate 15, along with numerous auxiliary highways and state routes. Bus service is also included locally within the area by numerous local government agencies. Subways and light commuter rail lines are present within Los Angeles proper, allowing mass transportation within the city. Commuter railroads are run by Metrolink. Amtrak has numerous railroad lines that connect Los Angeles to the rest of the country.

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) of six of the ten counties in Southern California, serving Imperial County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, and Ventura County. San Diego County's MPO is the San Diego Association of Governments, which is an unrelated agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coyote Creek (San Gabriel River tributary)</span> Tributary of the San Gabriel River in California

Coyote Creek is a principal tributary of the San Gabriel River in northwest Orange County and southeast Los Angeles County, California. It drains a land area of roughly 41.3 square miles (107 km2) covering eight major cities, including Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, Hawaiian Gardens, La Habra, Lakewood, La Palma, and Long Beach. Some major tributaries of the creek in the highly urbanized watershed include Brea Creek, Fullerton Creek, and Carbon Creek. The mostly-flat creek basin is separated by a series of low mountains, and is bounded by several small mountain ranges, including the Chino Hills, Puente Hills, and West Coyote Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California county routes in zone N</span>

There are 9 routes assigned to the "N" zone of the California Route Marker Program, which designates county routes in California. The "N" zone includes county highways lying in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The Southeast Gateway Line, formerly the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor, is a planned light rail line, mostly following the Pacific Electric's historic West Santa Ana Branch, connecting Downtown Los Angeles to the city of Artesia, along with other cities in southeastern Los Angeles County.

References

  1. Sonksen, Mike (March 13, 2015). "On Location: Cerritos". KCET . Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  2. "Demographics of the Gateway Cities COG Region". Gateway Cities Site Selector. Archived from the original on 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  3. List of United States cities by population density [ circular reference ]
  4. https://www.census.gov [ not specific enough to verify ]
  5. "Gateway Cities Council of Governments" . Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  6. "Gateway Cities Council of Governments".
  7. "Airlines and Destinations".
  8. White, Ronald D. (2011-08-07). "Long Beach port chief's long voyage nears an end". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035.
  9. "California Railroads".
  10. Schlepp, Travis (2024-01-22). "Metro project with 'confusing' moniker gets new name". KTLA. Retrieved 2024-01-24.